The Samurai And The Fisherman: A Beautiful Story

The story of the samurai and the fisherman is a beautiful story with a surprising lesson. It all started in ancient Japan. There lived a samurai who was known for his great generosity, especially among the poorer people.

One day he was given a mission to work in a nearby village. After he had finished, and just as he was about to go home, the samurai saw a fisherman with a very sad expression on his face. It seemed like he was crying. He decided to approach him and ask him what was going on.

The fisherman told him he was about to lose his boat because he owed money to a local shopkeeper. Because he didn’t have the means to pay him, the lender decided to keep the fishing boat as a guarantee. But if he lost his boat, the fisherman would have no job and his family would starve.

The samurai listened intently. His noble heart was moved by the story. Then, without hesitation, he withdrew money from his pocket and gave it to the fisherman. “It’s not a gift.” he said. He was not in favor of giving things away just because it promoted laziness.

“This is a loan. I’ll come back in a year and you’ll give me the money back. I will not charge you interest.” The fisherman couldn’t believe it. He promised the samurai that he would do whatever it took to repay him and thanked him immensely for this gesture. However, the story had only just begun.

The Return of the Samurai

After a year, the samurai returned to the village. He truly believed that the fisherman would pay him back what he had lent him and was very excited to see him again. He hoped the fisherman had improved his living conditions. At this point, however, the story of the samurai and the fisherman took an unexpected turn.

When the samurai went looking for the fisherman at the place where they had met a year ago, he saw no one. He asked the other fishermen who were there about the man, but they could not answer him. Finally he found someone who could show him where the fisherman lived. The samurai went there.

Upon his arrival, the samurai found only the fisherman’s wife and children. They told him they had no idea where the debtor was. However, the samurai realized that they were lying. The fisherman hid so as not to have to repay his debt. Yet the story of the samurai and the fisherman is not over here.

The unexpected happens

The samurai was furious. Is this what he got in return for what he had given? He couldn’t accept it and decided to track down the fisherman. Until he found him behind a rock. The man hid.

When the fisherman saw the samurai, he was terrified. All he could say was that the fishing season had been terrible and he didn’t have the money to pay it back. “Ungrateful,”  cried the samurai. “I helped you when you needed it the most! And this is how you choose to repay me?”

The fisherman was speechless. The samurai, blind with anger, then drew his sword to punish the fisherman.

“I’m sorry,”  said the fisherman. “If you let your hand speak, you limit your anger; if you let your anger speak, you will limit your hand.” The samurai stopped. This humble man was right. His anger dissipated and they came to an agreement that the fisherman would repay the debt within a year.

The moral of the story of the samurai and the fisherman

When the samurai came home, still shocked by what had happened to the fisherman, he saw light coming from his room. It was weird. It was already very late. Slowly and carefully he walked to the bed and saw his wife lying on it. He realized that someone was lying next to her. He came closer and saw that it was another samurai.

Immediately he drew his sword. He was quietly walking to the bed to do something crazy, when he suddenly remembered the fisherman’s words. “If you let your hand speak, you limit your anger; if you let your anger speak, you will limit your hand.” Then he took a deep breath, sneaked out of the room and just yelled, “I’m here!”

His wife came out to greet him cheerfully. Behind her , his mother also came out of the room. “Look who’s here!” said his wife. She was afraid to stay home alone, so she asked her mother-in-law to keep her company.

The samurai’s mother had put on her son’s clothes in case a thief came in. If a thief saw her, he would think she was a warrior and leave them alone.

The story of the samurai and the fisherman ended a year later. The samurai visited the fishing village again. The fisherman was waiting for him. He had the money, plus interest, because it had been a good year for him. The samurai hugged him. “Keep that money,” he said. “You don’t owe me anything. I am the one who owes you something.”